2018 Kia Optima vs Hyundai Sonata

What's the difference?

There are plenty of reasons why you should still consider a mid-sized sedan like the Kia Optima. I’m sure there are… just let me think about this for a sec…

Okay, so this part of the market is dying. A decade ago, sedans like this were really popular, but now there are heaps of alternative options. Yep, people are going for mid-sized SUVs rather than mid-sized sedans like this.

But that doesn’t mean models like the just-updated 2018 Kia Optima are without their reasons for being. I’m just not sure the facelift has made it more appealing to look at…

Hyundai's Sonata is part of that fading market segment - the medium family car. If you're not the Toyota Camry, your sales are in the hundreds per year (the hitherto Australian-built Camry slaughters all-comers), with the Sonata clocking up around 800 so far in 2017.

Hyundai sticks with this car, like David sticking with throwing stones at Goliath, to ensure that it has a vehicle in its dealerships to suit buyers in every segment.

The Sonata was relaunched here a few years ago as a far better car than any of its previous namesakes. In fact, my family had one for a year as a long-termer and we really quite liked it. Big and capable, it was only missing the design flair that following Hyundais inherited.